There is a battle for the soul of conservatism. Conservatives are being drawn separate ways in today’s political world and the division risks changing one of the fundamentals of a movement grown by early torchbearers such as William F. Buckley, Ronald Reagan and others who made modern conservatism the political force it is today.

Much has been made of the difference between President Trump and so-called ‘establishment’ Republicans—President Trump representing the nationalist, somewhat isolationist wing compared to the more traditional and expansive US policy.

Donald Trump was elected as a reaction to an out of control politically correct rampage by an Administration where the Secretary of State said that global warming was the greatest threat to national security while ISIS terrorist attacks struck worldwide. Where making sure there were ‘gender neutral’ bathrooms was more important than fighting readiness on Navy ships.

But the fight for the soul of the conservative movement isn’t about whether we should follow a “US first’ policy or should be more internationalist, or whether to take a more hard line on immigration or some other policy point. The real battle for the soul of conservatism boils down to one thing: whether conservatives have decided that power is worth any cost?Continue reading “Battle for the Soul of Conservatism”

California Governor Jerry Brown sign a bill into law last week that would allow fines and jail time for any health care worker that did not use the preferred name or gender pronoun (he, she) when dealing with transgenders.

“Gov. Moonbeam”, as he was nicknamed during his presidential run three decades ago, has stood again as the face of how far out on the fringe California has become, now that it has become the first state to actually threaten jail time for something someone might say.

The bill was touted as a protection measure for LBGT people, and included penalties of up to a year in jail and $1000 fine for each offense. It’s hard to believe this would pass any constitutional muster but even the thought that you would want to penalize someone for something they say is scary (with the possible exception of someone threatening extreme violence). But in the extreme leftist politics that has become the state of California, that’s not so out of the ordinary.

The tragic events in Charlottesville last weekend have shown us the reality that there still exist people who hold to repugnant views and are driven to express them in outrageous and sometimes violent ways.

The whole thing was like some alternate universe. From the…let’s say ‘confusing’, at the least, series of responses from President Trump who couldn’t give a clear cut response to what was an obvious problem, to the rally organizers who derided President Trump for his Jewish son-in-law and Slavic wife, to…. well, just fill in the blank. One can’t help but wonder if others were looking around, too, wondering if they were in some dream from which we would wake up (nightmares are dreams, right?)

Unfortunately, the events in Charlottesville itself were not the only troubling ones. The whole incident has brought up an important issue, one that has been fundamental to the country and society, that being the issue of free speech. Continue reading “On Free Speech”

Last weekend’s protests and counter-protests in Charlottesville, VA ended in violence and, unfortunately, death. What started out as aa discussion of whether to remove a monument of Confederate and US General Robert E. Lee turned into something more. Much more.

Set aside for a moment the question of whether we should pull down monuments of Confederate generals. The real issue in Charlottesville this weekend is one of race. The KKK and neo-Nazis decided that this was the place to make a statement. And in doing so, it showed the ugly side of fringe radicalism.

The biggest tragedy of the weekend came when a terrorist drove a car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others. When asked if this was domestic terrorism, National Security Council head H.R. McMasters did not hesitate and said “Of course.” And Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a federal investigation.

I have seen it said–and it would be sort of cute if it weren’t so tragically true—that you can’t be a good American and a Nazi. We fought a whole war about that. And the whole world was involved.

Our First Amendment guarantees the right of free speech, no matter how repugnant (and no matter how much some people argue that they should be the judge of who should be able to speak). It is rightfully one of our most treasured freedoms. When those freedoms cross over into violence and murder, then those that cross that line ought to be brought mercilessly to justice. Let the murderous Nazi meet his deserved end.